Colby's Photo Shoot with Katie Hodas

Last weekend Colby had his 1 1/2 year pictures taken with a childhood friend of mine. Its so great that I have a couple friends who are into photography! We took them at Brechtel Park in Algiers. I think they came out fabulous! Colby did a great job and she just captured him in the moment having fun being a typical boy! I think he really enjoyed it because it was in a new place and he had plenty of room to run and explore! I can't wait to bring him back out there! He looks so big in these pictures! Enjoy a preview of them! She gave us 106 photos here are just a few! I am gonna have fun trying to narrow them down to decide which ones to buy though!!

Colby's bobo

So first I have to say gosh my little boy is so tough. He gets banged up and scraped up all the time now and it hardly seems to phase him!

Well tonight we had a big uh oh accident. We were leaving to go on our walk and now Colby insists on walking like a big boy so he was already in the sidewalk when Austin and Allie went to run ahead of him. Well as Colby was walking and Austin and Allie were going they all seemed to get tangled up leaving Allie's leash to catch around Colby's neck knocking him to the ground with his little head hitting the concrete! Well my heart just stopped for those couple of seconds until I could see he was ok. His head was a little scraped and bruised but it wasn't major swelling or anything so it must have sounded worse then it really was. He ofcourse was crying but I think it scared him more then anything as it seems it always does. I think his pride gets hurt way worse then his body! I quickly brought him in though to get a cold pack and just make sure he was ok. He was more upset at this point about being drug back in the house I think. After I cleaned him up and could tell he was alright we decided to go on with our walk b/c Allie and him were already excited about it!

And as a tough boy that he is...he continued to walk almost the entired block by himself. I swear he will play football but that makes me nervous b/c as much as a cringed tonight and keep replaying him falling in my mind I can't imagine watching from the sidelines as my little guy got tackled! So anyway he seemed fine as the night went on he played in the tub and all as usual. Ofcourse I am still a little worried and still can't get the picture out of my head. But I just thank God that it wasn't more tragic because it could have easily been. Luckily there wasn't even any blood shed. Guess I have to get used to these things happening with a rough, tumble little boy! But my heart will never get used to seeing my little boy get bobos.

Monday Fun!

Austin was off today so we have had one of our usual fun family Mondays. First off we got to sleep in until 8. It was so nice to get that extra hour of sleep! We got up and made Colby's breakfast and our coffee and got ready for the day. Colby is such a big boy now he eats at the big table for snacks. He always starts his morning with fruit so he sat at the big table eating his strawberries and grapes and drinking his milk. He wanted back in the highchair though for his oatmeal. Then he eats his last part of breakfast puffs or dry cereal in front of the tv. Guess he likes different scenery?

Once we were out the door we headed to the park. We tried Terrytown but it was full of school children so we went to Mel Ott instead. I like this park but I feel like the equipment is a little too big for Colby's age. It will be great when he's like 4. But he still had fun! We almost had one accident where he slipped down a step then almost fell off the side but Mommy caught him just in time! After the park we went to Lowe's to pick out some flowers...we needed springtime/summer flowers for our back. We also got some veggies to plant. Now that Colby is getting a little older and he loves veggies I thought it would be fun to try our hand at gardening! We always do tomatoes but I wanted to do more then that. So we got creole tomato plants and some garden bean seeds, okra seeds, and peas. So we'll see how it goes! I have a friend who is willing to offer some tips!

This afternoon after Colby's nap we played outside. I thought it would be a good idea to get his splash pool out. I have seen pics of other kids swimming already so I thought hey its like 80 today why not? Well Colby was excited at first but once he sat in the water he was not so much. I guess it was still too cold for this! But he enjoyed running around in his swimsuit and splashing once he got his shoes back on. We must have stayed out for over an hour! He had so much fun! But man on man did he get dirty! We had to hose him off before he came back inside! I guess this is what I have to look forward to with a little boy! I think we will all sleep good tonight though because it is warming up so much outside so if you spend anytime out it wears you out! But its been a great day we are just staying in and possibly getting italian takeout tonight. I am craving some pasta alfredo!

Easter Sunday

Colby swinging with Mrs. Eva

Exploring her backyard

Colby with Grammy and GrandDaddy on Easter

awww

My little man in his seersucker

Colby opening up his Easter basket!

I just love Easter for many reasons. I love to be reminded of Christ's love for us. I love the springtime and the feeling of rebirth. I love the weather. I love time with family and silly things like Easter Egg hunts.

As all holidays they seem to bring on an even greater meaning when you have a child. Today we began our day with church. I look forward to this family tradition with Colby growing up. I can remember all Easter Sundays growing up dressing up and heading to church and just the special familiy time that that was. I look forward to Colby understanding and learning more about Jesus each year. Last year he had no concept of God/Jesus. This year he understands to say "Thank you God" and fold his hands before every meal. Yes that's simple but that is where it begins. Next year I hope he will have a child like understanding of the real Easter story. We will do the Easter bunny but will try not to make it a huge deal I would rather the focus be on Jesus and going to church as a family.

Colby did start his morning by opening his Easter basket though. And what a priceless moment has he headed into the den and saw it and went "ooohhhh" so sweet! He loved all his goodies. His favorites though were the football and Mickey Ball. I think he also liked the car and truck too! He did really well getting ready for church. He got to were his seersucker suit which was really intended for last Easter but was too big. It was a little snug today but pretty much fit. He looked adorable! Like a true southern gentleman! He got lots of comments at church too! Its just sad that today will probably be the one and only chance he will wear it! Maybe we will have another boy who we can pass it on to!

Sunday School was really fun. We had Colby, Broc, and Cade. Cade is in the process of transitioning up from the baby room. I pretty much hung with him. Mrs. Shirley took care of and played with the 2 bigger boys! Cade did really well and I think we bonded over puffs! I swear those are baby crack! Colby cried when I left him for extended care but his teachers afterwards said he stopped quick and didn't fuss the rest of the time! Glad to hear that! He was in there with Broc and Glenn Paul! Funny how its all boys! They were busy playing with cars and trucks! The service was awesome. I enjoyed worship today. I look forward to when Colby can sit in worship service with us but I am thankful for the nursery right now so I am not distracted with a squirmy toddler.

After church we headed home and changed Colby and fed him a little lunch. I wasn't sure what he would eat over there so I didn't want him to be grumpy. We went over then to Mrs. Eva's house. Colby loved her backyard. He had a blast running around. Then he discovered the ham and had to eat a bunch of that. He was really good though to be running behind on his naptime! Even while we ate he was good. He just ran around and played! He ate some green beans and drank tea. He also enjoyed the brownie dessert! I was so proud he didn't get grumpy at all. Soon after dinner though he started running to the door and pointing. He was ready for his nap. He didn't melt down though. We decided to just bring him home rather then try to make him nap there. I am so glad though that he loves his naps so much! But he hung in there good until about 2:30 so that was about 2 hours behind when he normally naps!

It was a great day...I look forward though when he's really excited about hunting eggs. He didn't want too much of a part of it today though. He played with them and got a couple but wasn't really ready to hunt them. Maybe next year! So now we have all had naps and are waiting on our friends Josh and Laura to get here so we can continue celebrating haha!

A Little Easter Fun

Today being the day for Easter we got to do a few things to get ready. First Colby received his Easter basket from his Grammy and Granddaddy. It was filled with CD's ( he loves his music), puffs, swimsuit, t-shirt, an Elmo stuffed animal, and socks.

We waited until tonight to dye eggs because Austin had to work. Colby didn't get to participate too much because it was late and he's too young to really understand so we let him look and peek at the eggs. Maybe next year we can move the project outside and he can enjoy it! He was very curious and wanted to pick the eggs up but they were still wet so he has to wait until tomorrow!

Austin and I also played Easter bunny. Its fun to do these things for your kids. Although it seems like we just played Santa Clause. I got the idea from some friends next year we will probably leave carrots out for the bunny but this year Colby doesn't even really know so we didn't do that part. The Easter bunny left him all sorts of goodies though, some balls, firetruck and car (before I even know how much he would love the movie "Cars", some Disney pjs so he'll be ready for Disney, candy (ofcourse jelly beans), a book, a CD, and some sunglasses! I think the Easter Bunny must have thought he was very good this year! Can't wait to post pics of tomorrow but here's a few from today!

Last Easter

My little guy has grown so much this past year! I am really excited about his 2nd Easter. This year he should be able to hunt Easter Eggs which will be fun. Not sure if we will let him help dye them this year...we might do like last year and do that when he goes to bed. I just know he would probably make a huge mess! I look forward to the many years of Easter getting him all dressed up and taking him to church as a family.

I always loved Easter as a kid! Last year he wasn't really old enough to understand much. He did like playing with the eggs and sitting in his basket! Wonder if he could still fit in it haha??

Middle of the Week Routine

Well it seems like we are just getting back to our normal weekday routine. Austin was off Sunday-Tuesday. So yesterday (Wednesday) actually felt more like a Monday. Wednesday though is our grocery shopping day so as soon as I was able to get Colby and myself dressed we headed out to the store. Colby does really well at the grocery store and I am so thankful for that. We are usually only in there 40 minutes I pretty much have it down to a science! Poor thing though boohoos everytime this guy helps us with our groceries at the car. The guy is a little strange but you can tell he's maybe just special and that is why he does the job he does. He always wears a big hat and he is always helping us with our groceries. I mean he makes me feel a little strange too but Colby just freaks out when he comes around. I guess he can sense that he is a little off I dunno? Its almost embarassing though...I try to avoid having him help us but it seems like he is always by the door when we come out. I have even thought about shopping somewhere else b/c of this but I love Rouses and its just so conveniant. It only takes us about 10 minutes or less to get there.

After our grocery shopping and putting everything away Colby always wants to playoutside. So we stay out there a good while then I can usually bribe him in though with juice. We usually play for a little while then it is time for his lunch/naptime. I love his naptime its my time of the day where I can relax and put my feet up for awhile too. After his nap Casee and Jax came to walk with us. Colby does so well on these walks too he just sits back and enjoys his snacks. Jax did really good too I am anxious about when Jax is old enough to really interact with Colby. It was quite warm yesterday afternoon after our walk I was sweating...I guess summer time is on its way! By the time we finished walking it was time for me to start making dinnner. I found a recipe for mac n cheese soup and wanted to try making it for Colby. It was really easy but I don't think Colby was as fond of it. I liked it though. Colby ate it but he didn't lap it up like I thought he would. I think I would make it again though just b/c its easy and is healthy I mean its got carrots and broccoli in it. I couldn't even convince Austin to eat it...he is not a fan of broccoli at all! As usual we took our nightly walk after dinner. Colby is now into "walking like a big boy" so it probably takes us twice as long to round the block. He likes to touch every car, truck, flower, dog, flag, yard decor in sight! Its really cute though how the small things just make him so happy! I love this explorer stage he is in! I think I am really gonna miss the toddler phase. I mean it has its downs sometimes with the tantrums and fits but everything is so new and exciting to them I love seeing the world again from his view!

Today was what has become our Thursday routine trip to the park. This is our mommy/son day! I love it because its just about me and him and having fun. No errands to do, I don't worry about chores we just get out and find a park and have a blast! Last week we had the haircut though but we made up for it last Friday. Anyway we always begin by a trip through Starbucks for mommy's coffee fix. I think I have now become an addict to their coffee. I probably have it 3 or 4 times a week! We went to the park in Algiers again. I like this park when its just Colby and I because its in a good neighborhood, its easy to park and walk in, and there are usually other moms there to talk to and kids Colby's age. Today I saw a MOPS mom I saw her the last time too! Her little boy Jackson is about 4 months older then Colby. They play and interact a little its fun to watch! After the park we came home and played outside then had our usual lunch/naptime.

After his nap we almost always go walking. Today it was just us so I decided to drop his swimming application off at his teacher's house. She lives in our neighborhood. Pretty conveniant! It was a good long walk but not too far! I will probably walk most of the time he is in lessons too! I feel like we are being "green" that way and also healthier by walking! After we got in we played outside until austin got home and it was time for dinner!

I just love these simple days though! Since I am not working I love weekdays! I love when Austin is off too but there is just something special about these days being home and watching Colby grow up and it just being the 2 of us sometimes! I recall fondly days like this spent with my mom when I was little too! I love weekends but sometimes I am just grateful for the weekly routine!